“Continued high-impact research may soon foster the development of disease-modifying therapies for PV and ET and satisfy this need for the optimal management of patients with these MPNs,” they said.
Researchers are also determining how to best optimize current treatment options, including JAK inhibitors and interferons. According to the authors, there is a lack of evidence on disease course modification associated with frontline JAK inhibitor treatment. To build on this data, studies of combination therapy have been initiated.
For example, a phase 2 study of ruxolitinib in combination with pegylated interferon alfa 2a (PEG-IFN alfa-2a) found the regimen was well tolerated, decreased JAK2 V617F allelic burden and symptoms, and resulted in remission for 10 of the 32 patients with PV deemed “almost entirely” intolerant or refractory to PEG-IFN alfa-2a.